Plague: Dwindling Light
by Jacen200015
Summary: About two years before TPM, ObiWan leaves the Jedi Order and winds up on Tatooine. Darkness has taken a deadly form and people are dying by the hundreds.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

He sat on the hot desert sand, his head bowed, exposing his neck to the twin suns. A hot wind blew at him and caused bits of sand to get into his clothes and hair, yet he remained unmoving. His padawan braid flew into the air as the wind picked it up and smacked it lightly at the young man's face. Tears had long since dried on his cheeks, his blue eyes were clouded, and the air around him was heavy.

Taking his lightsaber off of his belt, Obi-Wan turned it on and sliced his braid cleanly off his head. Retracting the blade, Obi-Wan tied his braid to the lightsaber handle and then dug a hole in the sand to bury it. After he had placed his lightsaber and braid in the hole, Obi-Wan took the stone, that Qui-Gon had given to him on his lifeday, out of his belt and placed it in the hole too.

Smoothing the sand into the hole, Obi-Wan stared at that spot for a few minutes before standing up and turning back to Mos Espa.

He staggered through the streets, feeling lightheaded and hot. There was no destination in his mind, he just walked until he succumbed to exhaustion and the heat.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Obi-Wan woke up to the smell of tea, his eyelids slowly opening. _Where…where am I?_ He licked his dry lips, yet remained still, looking up at the ceiling. _Why am I here? I shouldn't be…oh no._

"You're awake." Shmi remarked when she entered the room to see him staring at the ceiling. "How are you feeling?"

Obi-Wan didn't respond and continued to stare at the ceiling. _Force, I'm not thinking straight. Should have returned to the ship…right outside of Mos Espa…right? No…no…why can't I remember? Desert…the desert…something in the desert. The Temple…no…they're all dead…right? Desert…the desert…what about the desert? Master? No…Master's dead. My head hurts._

Shmi walked over to him and placed her warm palm on his forehead. "Your fever has gone down. How are you feeling?"

Obi-Wan didn't answer and just closed his eyes. _Fever? No…that's not right…no fever…right?_

"Is he going to be alright?" A young, curious boy asked.

"I think so, Anakin." Shmi replied as she checked Obi-Wan's pulse. She frowned, noticing how weak the young man's pulse was. Shmi walked over to the chair that had her medkit supplies on it and rummaged through it.

Anakin frowned and left the doorway to fully enter the room. "You're worried."

Shmi looked at her son and saw the look in his eyes that told her that she wouldn't be able to hide things from him for long. "Anakin, go to my room and look for the comm. number and priority code for the Temple that's in the small, wooden, box that's on my dresser and bring it to me."

"Yes, Mom." Anakin replied and ran off to go get it.

Closing her eyes, Shmi reflected on what she knew of some rare illnesses that don't show up on standard issue medical scanners, but none of them matched the symptoms she was seeing. Shmi opened her eyes and looked at the young man whose skin was slowly turning into a sickly light blue. A rash had appeared on both of his arms during the night, but for some reason his body temperature was returning to normal and his pulse weakened.

"I found it." Anakin called, running into the room and handing his mom the information that was on a piece of flimsiplast.

"Thank you, Anakin." Shmi answered and took the flimsiplast from him. "Go make yourself some breakfast."

"Okay." Anakin responded, his stomach rumbling with agreement.

Shmi closed the door to the spare bedroom and headed for the comm. unit that was in a room that she used as her workshop. Sitting down on a stool, Shmi put in the Temple comm. number and priority code. Seconds stretched into minutes and there was still no response. She attempted to use just the Temple number, but no one answered. She tried again a third time with the priority number and waited.

There was a flicker on the screen and then an image of a human girl appeared with blonde hair and blue eyes. She looked like she hadn't slept in days and there was a haunted look in her eyes. "This is the Jedi Temple Healer's ward, Siri Tachi speaking, how may I be of help?"

"Hello, is the head healer available?" Shmi asked.

Siri shook her head. "I'm sorry, she's not available."

"Well, then, perhaps you can help me. Was a Jedi Padawan sent to Tatooine recently?" Shmi questioned and noticed the young girl's eyes widen.

"Obi-Wan." Siri paused as she collected herself and her face became a mask again. "Yes, Padawan Kenobi was sent to Tatooine on a mission in response to a vision he had. We lost contact with him a few days ago. Do you know anything?"

"Yes. He was found unconscious yesterday evening. He seems to be suffering from some sort of illness that I'm not familiar with." Shmi told her.

Siri seemed to pale and she began looking around for a datapad. Once she found the one she was looking for she asked, "What are his symptoms?"

"He had a fever for a couple of hours and then his body temperature went back to normal. His pulse is weak and he has developed a rash on both of his arms. Also, his skin tone is turning a sickly light blue."

Siri checked off the symptoms that were on the list, doing her best to remain calm. "He has probably experienced other symptoms already: confusion, dizziness, and upset stomach. So far, we have been unable to find the cause or cure to this illness. Coruscant and Terrim are presently under quarantine and all planetary governments are being informed of the situation."

Shmi slowly nodded in understanding. "Is there anything else about this illness that I need to know?"

"Has he regained consciousness since he was found?" Siri asked.

"Yes, briefly. He didn't say anything, but simply stared and then lapsed into unconsciousness again." Shmi answered.

Siri nodded. "He should wake up again soon and hopefully be less confused. He will need to eat soup and drink plenty of water. It will look like he's getting better and his energy will return, but the least amount of time that will last will be three days. After that he will experience intense pain and headaches." Siri paused for a few seconds before continuing. "So far these have been the main things we have noticed. It varies from person to person. For some the illness spreads slowly, for others they're dead within the week." Siri took a deep breath and attempted to steady her voice. "Tell Obi-Wan when he wakes up that…that I love him."

The comm. beeped as Siri turned off the comm. and Shmi just sat where she was, still absorbing everything she had learned.

* * *

Anakin finished his breakfast and after cleaning and putting things away, he went back to the room that the stranger was in. He opened the door and walked inside and over to the cot. Something about the stranger drew him closer.

The stranger's eyelids slowly opened and his head slowly turned to look at Anakin. A lone tear made its way from the corner of his left eye, down his cheek, and onto the pillow.

"Why are you sad?" Anakin asked and placed a small hand on the stranger's shoulder.

Obi-Wan tensed at the boy's touch, but ever so slowly he began to relax. As he relaxed, Obi-Wan opened himself up to the Force a little, only to mentally shy away from Anakin's glowing presence.

Anakin stared at Obi-Wan curiously, wondering about the strange tingling he felt in the back of his mind. "Are you feeling better?"

Dizziness overtook him and Obi-Wan closed his eyes and reclosed himself off from the Force. He let his consciousness drift off into the inky darkness that promised solitude and peace…

_Smoke. Fire. Death. Pain, incredible pain. Darkness swallowing up the light. The light is gone. They're all dead, all dead. Pain, so much pain. Darkness. So cold, so very cold. Alone. No hope. The light is gone._

"Are you okay?"

Obi-Wan gasped and his eyelids flew open. The boy, Anakin, drew back for a moment, startled, and then moved a step forward, placing his small hand back on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "Do you need another blanket? You're shivering." Anakin asked, already moving to get another blanket from a small closet on the other side of the room.

Blue-gray eyes tracked Anakin's movements, closing when Anakin came back. Obi-Wan felt the heavy blanket being laid on top of him, chasing away the chills that had invaded his body.

"Anakin, come into the kitchen, I need to talk to you!" Shmi called.

"Coming mom!" Anakin responded, lingering a few more seconds as he watched the stranger drift back to sleep before leaving the room.

* * *

When Obi-Wan awoke again, he saw Anakin sitting on a chair next to him, busy fiddling with a piece of machinery in his hands. Licking his dry lips and swallowing, Obi-Wan was about to speak, but Anakin beat him to it.

"You're awake again!" Anakin exclaimed, a wide smile on his face. "Are you feeling better now? Mom is taking a nap. Are you thirsty? Are you going to get out of bed? What's your name?"

"Obi-Wan." He responded, managing to reply in-between Anakin's questions.

Anakin briefly paused as he took in the new information. "Obi-Wan. That's a nice name. My name is Anakin."

"Do you always ask so many questions to strangers, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, his tired gaze on Anakin's face.

Anakin shrugged his shoulders and went back to fiddling with the machine part in his hand. "You have been here for three days already. How can I not be curious?"

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and carefully propped himself up with his arm. "You didn't answer my question."

"I found you outside. My mom and I were getting ready to eat lastmeal when I had a feeling to look outside. There was a sandstorm coming right about then, my mom told me to keep the door shut, but I opened it anyway and saw you. My mom is very nice, you'll like her. We brought you inside and I fixed a bed for you."

_I suppose that is a definite yes._ Obi-Wan laid back down and covered his eyes with his arm.

"Are you tired of being in bed?" Anakin asked in a curious voice. "I know I would be if I were in bed for days."

_Does he have anything better to do?_ "Look, I would like to be left alone. So stop bothering me!" Obi-Wan responded, a little harsher than he had intended to be.

Anakin looked down at the machine part, stung by Obi-Wan's response. A tear tried escaping his eye, but Anakin hurriedly wiped it away. "I'm sorry." Anakin mumbled and stood up and left the room.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep, but did not succeed. Guilt ate at him about how he had treated Anakin. There was no reason for it. Sighing heavily, Obi-Wan turned over on his side and studied the wall, hoping that would help him fall asleep even though he wasn't really sleepy.

A couple of hours later, Obi-Wan heard someone walk into the room and smelled the scent of soup.

"I heard that you were up earlier. I made some soup. If you're feeling up to it, you can join us at the table." Anakin's mother told him.

Obi-Wan ignored her and pretended to be asleep.

"I may not be as strong in the Force as Anakin, but I can tell that you're not asleep." Shmi remarked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"I'm not hungry right now." Obi-Wan responded.

The cot bent a little bit as Shmi sat down on the edge of the cot. "Would you like to talk about what happened that has you so depressed?"

"I'm not depressed." Obi-Wan retorted, opening his eyes.

"Your bond is broken and is still fresh." Shmi replied.

Startled at her knowledge of Force bonds, Obi-Wan turned over onto his back and looked at Shmi. "How do you know that?"

Shmi gave a warm, caring smile. "Even though the Jedi never found me when I was a child, I did come into contact with a retired Jedi healer. Well, maybe retired is the wrong word, because even though she had left the Order, she was still committed to helping people. Anyway, she taught me some of the basics of the Force and some healing arts. I also learned about the Jedi and their history."

"Oh." Obi-Wan responded, fiddling with a loose thread on the blanket.

Shmi took the tray off the table and brought it near Obi-Wan, forcing him to sit up when he noticed that she was going to make sure he ate something regardless. "I contacted the Temple."

"So you know." Obi-Wan stated, staring at the orange soup.

"Yes. Siri Tachi told me that you came here because of a vision you had."

At Siri's name, Obi-Wan's mood brightened a little bit and he looked at Shmi. "You talked to Siri? How is she doing?"

"Besides lack of sleep, she seemed to be pretty healthy. She told me to tell you that she loves you."

Obi-Wan blushed in embarrassment and looked back at the soup. _I bet there is something between the lines too about not dying on her or she'll kill me herself._

"So what was in the vision that led you here?" Shmi asked.

Obi-Wan stirred the soup with the spoon that was on the tray and then stopped and looked at Shmi. "I think the vision I had is directing me toward the cure. It wasn't a very clear vision, the only thing that was clear was that I had to go to Tatooine. I got permission from the Council for the mission, but things just went downhill when I arrived. My Master died the day I arrived when I was out in the desert. I lost it for a while then and then later returned to my ship. Everything that happened after that is foggy. The illness must have taken hold of me during my mourning."

Sighing loudly, Obi-Wan looked back at the soup. "It wasn't my intention to go near people, but now the damage is done. Saying sorry is just not good enough."

"Obi-Wan, it's not your fault. You're sick and you were confused." Shmi told him in a soothing voice.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "If I hadn't left the Temple because of my vision than this wouldn't have happened."

"If you hadn't left the Temple you would have tortured yourself in wondering if you should have followed your vision." Shmi retorted.

"But I didn't find anything." Obi-Wan responded. "I failed."

"You got this far already, just because your ill doesn't mean that you can't continue with your mission." Shmi replied, her voice firm.

Obi-Wan looked at her like she was crazy. "I'm dying, how can I possibly continue?"

"Siri told me that your energy will return for three days at the least…" Shmi started to say, but was stopped by Obi-Wan's incredulous laugh.

"Three days is not going to be enough time. Finding the cure is one thing, figuring out dosages and how to prepare it is another thing." Obi-Wan told her and took a bite of the soup.

Shmi frowned at him. "Perhaps you should just let me finish what I am saying." She scolded him. "First of all, least means exactly what it means, least. You may have more than three days. Second, you are going to need some help and that is why Anakin and I are going to help you find the cure."

Obi-Wan almost choked on his second spoonful of soup. After a few coughs and swallows, Obi-Wan looked at Shmi, ready to protest against the idea, but when he saw the look that she gave him, he bit back his protest and went back to eating the soup.

Pleased that she wasn't getting an argument, she continued, "There are some fresh clothes on the chair and the refresher is down the hall, first door on the left. The kitchen is on the right."

Obi-Wan nodded and swallowed another spoonful of soup as Shmi left the room. Obi-Wan finished off the soup, drank the juice, and then set the tray on the table near the bed. Laying back down, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and fell asleep…

"_Obi-Wan? Obi-Wan, where are you?" A familiar voice cried out. _

"_Why did you abandon us, Obi-Wan? Why?" A different voice cried out._

"_Obi-Wan, where are you?" Both voices cried._

"_Help me Obi-Wan!" Cried a new voice…_

Obi-Wan jolted out of sleep and sat up. It was dark, everyone was in bed. Obi-Wan pulled the covers close to himself and laid back down, but the voices kept crying out to him. Tears trailed down his face and he cried, releasing all of the emotions inside of him.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Sir, there is a message for you from scientist Tae Rhinb." A messenger boy informed a lone man in a wrecked office.

The man continued to look out the window and did not respond.

The boy swallowed hard as he noticed the wreckage in the room. Papers were scattered about, the comm. unit was torn from the wall, pictures and other knickknacks were broken and scattered across the room. The chair and table were in pieces, looking like they had been cut with a lightsaber. There were scorch marks on the wall, the window was cracked, and the lights were flickering. "Sir?"

"Did they make any progress?" The man finally spoke.

"No sir." The boy answered. The room temperature felt like it had dropped several degrees and oddly there was a breeze in the room. The boy paled and had the sudden urge to run, but he stood his ground.

Suddenly, part of the remains of the comm. unit flew up into the air and flew at the wall, barely a foot away from the door. The man turned around, a scowl on his face. "Any good news?" He asked with anger in his voice.

The boy slowly shook his head, fear flickering in his eyes. "No sir."

The man stormed past the boy and left the room and within minutes, was outside. Getting into his speeder, he took off and headed home. Wringing certain people's necks was not an option. He had to cool down first. Half an hour later he arrived and got out of his speeder. He ran his right hand through his jet black hair and sighed as he felt himself begin to relax. Returning home was like breathing fresh air. Why he had remained in his office for days in seclusion, he had no idea.

Entering his home, he immediately headed for his private office, avoiding various toys scattered on the floor. "Why isn't the housekeeper droid cleaning this up?" He wondered out loud. Within seconds he had his answer. Turning a corner, the man saw the housecleaning droid and the nanny droid walking in circles, stopping, bending over to try to touch their feet and then standing up again, do an odd gesture with their arms and then continue to walk in circles. "Hellope, Mesteer Quanatos." The droids greeted when they spotted him.

Xanatos watched for several minutes, a stunned look on his face. "Vitus!" He finally yelled. When there was no response after several minutes, the man stretched out with the Force to find him. Xanatos sensed Vitus near the kitchen and turned around to go back down the hall to where the kitchen was.

Opening the door into the kitchen, Xanatos stopped in his tracks when he saw the mess in the kitchen and Vitus and Taa-Viona using wooden spoons in a mock duel. Not only that but they were doing it on top of the table across from the kitchen area. Xanatos' frown deepened and he Force pulled the wooden spoons from their hands.

Vitus and Taa-Viona looked in surprise at their empty hands and froze when they finally noticed their father's presence.

Taa-Viona quickly recovered from her surprise and hopped off of the table and ran over to her father and hugged him as tightly as she could. "Vitus won't let me win!" She began to whine.

Her father sighed in exasperation and looked at his son who was still standing on the table and giving him a defiant look. "Vitus, we need to have a little talk. To my office, now!" He commanded in a stern voice.

Vitus jumped down from the table and stomped past his father. "Why am I always the one in trouble?" He complained as he left the room.

Xanatos looked down at his daughter and gently pried her hands off his cloak. "I need to go talk to your brother. I would like you to go clean up the toys in the hallway."

Taa-Viona looked up at him with her light green eyes and pouted. "But I didn't make the mess, daddy, and I have homework to do."

"Fine, go do your homework." Xanatos relented.

Taa-Viona smiled, gave her father a hug, and then ran out of the kitchen.

Xanatos shook his head and went back out into the hallway. This was why he stayed in his away from home office. He passed by the droids and entered his office where Vitus was sitting in a red chair facing the desk. Xanatos sat down at his desk and studied Vitus. Vitus sat on the chair with his arms crossed over his chest and defiance on his face. Through the Force, Xanatos could feel the boy's anger. "Vitus, when I give rules, I expect them to be followed. You are twelve years old, there's no excuse for breaking the rules."

Vitus glared at him. "Droids can be fixed and nothing was broken in the kitchen."

"What about the toys on the floor?" Xanatos asked.

"That's Taa-Viona's mess. Besides, the droids pick up the toys." Vitus' responded.

"Droids that you messed around with." Xanatos reminded his son. "Vitus, why is it so hard for you to follow the rules?"

The comm unit. at his desk rang at that moment and Xanatos answered it. After speaking to the person on the other end for several minutes, Xanatos cut the communication and got up to leave. "We'll discuss this later, I have a matter to attend to."

"Fine." Vitus grumbled as Xanatos left. "You'll just forget anyway."

* * *

Anakin poked at his breakfast with his fork, moving the scrambled Cuma eggs into various patterns. 

"Anakin, you haven't eaten anything, are you feeling alright?" Shmi asked, concern in her voice.

"I'm feeling fine," Anakin responded and then looked up and met his mother's gaze. "It's just…I had a nightmare last night."

"What was the nightmare about?" Shmi asked.

Anakin shrugged his shoulders. "I don't remember." Sensing someone behind him, Anakin turned in his seat and smiled up at Obi-Wan. "Mom made breakfast, do you want some?"

Obi-Wan managed a small smile and sat down in a empty seat. "I'm guessing that I don't really have a choice in the matter."

Shmi stood up and went to prepare some eggs for Obi-Wan. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"A little. The sonic shower was refreshing this morning." Obi-Wan answered.

"Do you get nightmares too?" Anakin asked Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan shrugged his shoulders. "It's not unusual for people to have nightmares." He glanced at Anakin's plate and saw the design that Anakin had made with the eggs. He grew cold inside but he shook off the feeling of dread. It was just a coincidence that Anakin had made that symbol, it didn't mean anything.

Shmi placed a plate of steaming eggs mixed with small pieces of meet, roots, and a few other things Obi-Wan didn't recognize, in front of him. Obi-Wan took the fork off of the plate and took a bite of the food. "This is really good." Obi-Wan told Shmi after he had chewed and swallowed.

"Mom is a very, very, good cook." Anakin told Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan looked at Anakin. "Why aren't you eating your breakfast then?"

"I'm not hungry right now." Anakin responded putting his fork down on his plate. "Are you going to meditate after you eat? Mom told me how Jedi meditate, but I can't seem to do it. Could you help me to meditate?"

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "You're changing the subject."

"But I answered your question so now you have to answer mine." Anakin defended himself.

"Eat your breakfast and then I will answer." Obi-Wan responded and took another bite of his food.

"But that's not fair. I'm not hungry." Anakin complained.

Obi-Wan shrugged his shoulders. "Not my problem."

"You're stubborn." Anakin remarked and then began to eat his breakfast.

Obi-Wan hid his smile as he drank his glass of blue milk.

Anakin aimed for the largest piece of egg, but missed went it suddenly moved. Anakin's eyes widened and he tried again and the result was the same. Anakin frowned and tried to concentrate. He aimed for the egg again, and this time prepared himself for it to move. He moved his fork down, the egg moved to the right and instead of going after that piece, Anakin went for another piece only to have that one escape him to. "Hey! This is so not fair! How do you do that?" Anakin exclaimed and looked up at Obi-Wan who was innocently eating.

"Do what?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Moving my eggs before I can get them with my fork." Anakin answered.

"Your eyes can deceive you, don't trust them." Obi-Wan responded and ate another egg.

Anakin tried to scoop up another egg, but it slipped away from him. "Poodoo!" He swore.

"Anakin, watch your language." Shmi scolded her son.

Anakin pressed his lips together and decided to go for a different approach. Concentrating hard, he managed to send one of Obi-Wan's eggs flying off of his plate, only to have Obi-Wan snag it with his fork and eat it. Anakin gaped at him and then looked back down at his own breakfast, filled with renewed determination. Closing his eyes, Anakin pictured his food in his mind and the fork that was in his hand. He got ready to go for an egg, the egg moved, but this time he successfully got it. "I did it!" Anakin shouted, and quickly ate the egg.

Obi-Wan stopped moving Anakin's food and let him eat.

The rest of the meal continued in silence. When they were all done, Shmi cleared away the dishes and put them into the sink to be washed.

"May I use your comm. unit?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes, you can." Shmi answered, turning to look at Anakin. "Anakin, go show Obi-Wan where the comm. unit is."

"Yes, mom." Anakin answered and stood up. "Will you show me how to meditate after you make your call?"

Obi-Wan ruffled Anakin's hair. "I don't see why not."

Anakin grinned and grabbed Obi-Wan's hand. "Wizard! Come on, the comm. unit is this way!"

Shmi smiled at them as they left. Despite everything that was going on, she felt a sense of peace. The Force was with them.

* * *

Siri woke up with a jolt in the chair she had sat down in and wiped at her eyes. She headed over to a refresher that was in the office and washed her face with cool water to help wake herself up. After drying her face, Siri got ready to continue her rounds. 

With most of the healers tending the sick and researching, many of the elder Padawans who were not sick had to help take care of the sick. Already half of the Jedi in the Temple had the sickness and ten had died. The Healers were at a loss at what was causing the sickness and how it was spreading. Quarantine had proved to be useless.

Siri stepped into the first room near the office and turned the light on low. "How are you feeling, Ferus?" Siri asked, approaching his bedside.

"I'm cold." Ferus answered.

Siri grabbed an extra blanket from a shelf and covered Ferus with it. "Is that better?"

Ferus nodded and Siri took his temperature. "Well, your fever is going down."

"Good. I want to get back into classes." Ferus responded as Siri checked the rash on both of his arms.

Siri managed a weak smile. "Just because your fever is going down does not mean that you're getting out of here any quicker."

Ferus pouted. "But it's boring in here and none of my friends are allowed to visit me."

"Am I not your friend?" Siri asked, ruffling his hair.

Ferus pushed her hand away from his head. "Maybe. I guess. Not right now, because you're keeping me cooped up in here."

Shaking her head, Siri typed some information into a datapad. "I'm only following orders. You can't leave until you're actually better."

"But I am getting better." Ferus protested. "I'm not as tired as I was before."

"Would you like me to get some books for you to read from the archive?" Siri asked, looking at Ferus.

"I don't want books, I want out of here!" Ferus replied. "Why can't you just give me some medicine that will get me better quicker?"

_Because the medicine that has been tried has only made the sickness worse._ "I'll be back later with your breakfast." Siri told him and quickly left the room. Once she was in the hallway and the door closed behind her, Siri leaned her back against the wall and wiped away the tears that were beginning to fall.

Through the Force, Siri felt a Jedi Master's Force presence flicker and then fade away. More tears ran down her face. This sickness was a nightmare. All attempts to find a cure had failed. Even the Force was failing them.

The sickness had already wiped out a whole continent of people on another planet and reports were still coming in of the sickness appearing on other planets. The sickness was not just targeting one species, but many different species. What was really strange, was how the main symptoms remained exactly the same. Humans and humanoids have many kinds of differences between them, so it is logical to conclude that there would be some variation in the main symptoms. With this sickness, that is not the case.

The archives in the Temple and the libraries on other planets have been searched to see if a similar plague has happened before. There was one record found, but it is regarded as a myth since there is no evidence supporting it.

Siri slammed her hand into the wall and then headed back to the main office. She was in no shape right now to continue her rounds. She needed to be calm. Entering the office, Siri noticed that the comm. unit was beeping, indicating an incoming call.

Wiping her face again with her hands, Siri sat down in front of the comm. unit, took a moment to compose herself and then answered it. Her greeting died on her lips when she saw who was calling.

"Hello, Siri. How are you doing?" Obi-Wan asked, noticing her red eyes and the dark circles around her eyes. "You should get some sleep."

A small smile appeared on Siri's face. "You don't look so good yourself." Her smile faded and tears once again came to her eyes.

Obi-Wan wished he could give her a reassuring hug right then, but that just wasn't possible. "We'll find the cure, Siri. There is a way to defeat this sickness."

Siri swallowed hard and slowly nodded. "I know, but it's spreading so fast."

"Siri…" Obi-Wan paused, knowing that asking the question would bring the pain back to the surface. "Was anyone with my Master when he died?"

"We don't know." Siri answered.

"What do you mean 'we don't know'?" Obi-Wan asked, sensing that Siri wasn't telling him something, something that he probably wouldn't like.

"A few days after you left, Qui-Gon slipped out of the healers ward and out of the Temple. No one was able to find him. Even after we sensed his death, we did not find his body." Siri explained.

Obi-Wan stared at Siri in shock. "Why would he do that? That makes no sense."

Siri shrugged. "I can't answer that. But if I were to guess, it may have had something to do with the Force." Siri glanced at the chrono and then looked back at Obi-Wan. "I got to go finish my rounds. May the Force be with you."

"With you as well." Obi-Wan replied and watched he holographic face shimmer out of view. _What were you thinking Master?_

* * *

Xanatos swept into the large room where scientists were busy doing tests and found the Head Scientist, Tae Rhinb, at a workstation in the far corner of the room. "You discovered something?" 

Tae Rhinb looked up from his microscope and nodded. "Yes sir. It's not much, but it is a step forward. Follow me please."

Xanatos followed Tae Rhinb down several floors underground and to a locked room. Tae Rhinb was a foot shorter than Xanatos and had white hair and a growing bald spot at the back of his head. He was mostly human except that the scientist had an odd little stub of a horn under his chin. He was mixed blood, but mixed with what, Xanatos wasn't sure.

After typing in a combination to the door, the door slipped open and they stepped inside.

"One of my scientists, Tuurd, who was on Coruscant recently, meeting with some other scientists, came back with an interesting specimen. I didn't tell you about this until I was certain that this will aid us. Anyway, Tuurd was on his way back to his ship when he discovered someone with the sickness who had died. How he stumbled across this person I have no idea, Tuurd probably went to go have a drink first on his way to his ship."

"Stop rambling!" Xanatos commanded, annoyed at how Tae Rhinb was making this story longer than it had to be.

"Sorry. Of course." Tae Rhinb apologized as they entered a room filled with many kinds of medical equipment. In the middle of the room was a white curtain surrounding something. "Well it turns out that the person he found had a lightsaber wound to his abdomen. It gets even stranger, it turned out that the person was not dead. There was a really faint pulse and when Tuurd checked the person's other vitals he found that there was still brain activity. By all rights this person should have been dead. Tuurd estimates that the lightsaber wound was afflicted five hours before he found the person."

Tae Rhinb walked over to a desk and pulled out a familiar object from the top drawer. "This was found near the person. I am certain that he's a Jedi."

Xanatos took the lightsaber, inwardly cursing as his hands trembled. He rolled the lightsaber in his hands. He knew this lightsaber and its owner. Memories flashed through his mind and he closed his eyes, paying no attention to what Tae Rhinb was saying. He felt numb from the different emotions that were building up within him. He turned around and quickly walked to the curtained area and entered it. Within the curtained area was a clear tube that acted as a life support device, monitor, and a supplier of needed fluids to the body. Inside the tube lay, Master Jinn.


End file.
